Photosynthetic and biochemical responses of the freshwater green algae Closterium ehrenbergii Meneghini (Conjugatophyceae) exposed to the metal coppers and its implication for toxicity testing

The freshwater green algae Closterium is sensitive to water quality, and hence has been suggested as ideal organisms for toxicity testing. In the present study, we evaluated the photosynthetic and biochemical responses of C. ehrenbergii to the common contaminants, coppers. The 72 h median effective concentrations (EC50) of CuSO4 and CuCl2 on the test organism were calculated to be 0.202 mg/L and 0.245 mg/L, respectively. Exposure to both coppers considerably decreased pigment levels and photosynthetic efficiency, while inducing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells with increased exposure time. Moreover, the coppers significantly increased the levels of lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, even at relatively lower concentrations. These suggest that copper contaminants may exert deleterious effects on the photosynthesis and cellular oxidative stress of C. ehrenbergii, representing its powerful potential in aquatic toxicity assessments.